Outside their secret alcove, the ladies kept chatting, oblivious. The publicness of what they were doing and the fact that they could get caught at any second turned him on like nothing ever had before, and when Ella slipped a hand inside his pants to touch him, he had to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning out loud. She smiled, triumphant, and stroked him.
He held himself as still as a stone, and it was the most difficult thing he’d ever done.
The sound of heels clicking away made him raise his head again. Ella looked up, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The stepmother and her friends were gone and they were alone, although they could still hear the music and faint chatting from the ballroom around the corner.
“Let’s go back to my room,” Ella said in a low voice.
But he shook his head. “I have a better idea. Do you know what this is?” He tapped on the bench beneath them. She frowned, puzzled, and he smiled slowly. “A loveseat. Some whimsical architect built it in when the Summer House was first designed, and I think it’s about time we put it to good use.”
Her eyes widened, with shock but also with desire, if he wasn’t mistaken. “We can’t do that. We’re in public.”
“The vines cover the entrance, and hardly anyone even knows to look for this spot.”
“But someone could find us.”
“It’s possible. Does that turn you on?”
She bit her lip again, and he knew he had her. Giving in to the urge he’d had since he’d gotten his first glimpse of her, he reached out, wrapped her ponytail around his hand twice, and pulled her head back for a long, scorching kiss.
“I’ve wanted to do that ever since we met,” he murmured.
“Oh yeah? There’s something I’ve been wanting to do since we met too,” she replied, then hesitated.
He leaned closer. “What? Tell me.”
A hesitant but incredibly sexy smile spread across her face. “You were right behind me, trying to give me that shoe, but I couldn’t turn around because I thought the bag would spill again. I had to look at you over my shoulder, and I kept thinking about… a better way I could be looking at you over my shoulder.”
“You want me to fuck you from behind?” he asked, because he was starting to realize she liked it when he talked dirty.
She nodded, biting her lip again, and holy hell—this woman would be the death of him. Suddenly there was nothing more important than getting inside her, right now, exactly how she wanted it.
He stood up, unbuckled his pants all the way. There was just enough room in the alcove to do this. Thank God he’d had the foresight to put a condom in his wallet. He tugged it out and ripped it open, but Ella stopped him and took it.
“Allow me,” she whispered, and slowly, torturously, slipped it onto him. He groaned.
“Turn around,” he said gruffly when she was done. “Bend over and hold onto the bench.”
“Your wish is my command,” she replied, echoing him. She turned, bent over the bench, laid her forearms across it and looked back over her shoulder. “I want to watch,” she said.
How was he here with this amazing woman? How was it she could turn him on this much, with a few touches and bold words? He pulled that liquid silver dress up, tugged her panties down and off. She was spread out before him like a gift, gorgeous and precious and his, her head turned with her eyes half-lidded in anticipation, waiting for him. Those heels lifted her up to just the right height. Her ass was heart-shaped and perfect and he couldn’t help but reach out, squeeze it hard enough to mark her as his, dip his fingers between her legs to see if she was ready for him. She was wet, and from the look in her eyes when he touched her, more than ready.
“You are so beautiful,” he told her in a low voice. He spread his hands over her hips to hold her in place and positioned his cock at her entrance. Her breath caught.
“Do it,” she whispered. “I want to see you take me, right now.”
He forced himself to ease into her slowly, filling her from behind. She moaned, low and quiet, still gazing at him over her shoulder. She was so tight and hot and wet, and her watching was a huge turn-on. “Fuck,” he said, giving up and plunging in to his hilt. “Fuck, Ella, I want to be so deep inside you.”
“Yes,” she whispered, and made one of those little noises that drove him crazy, like she couldn’t help herself. “Yes, God, harder, Phillip.” She squirmed her ass against him and he pulled out nearly all the way before burying himself in her again, harder this time and as deep as he could get. She grabbed onto the edge of the bench with both hands, white-knuckled, and dropped her head with a muffled moan.
So she liked it a little rough, did she? He pulled out and nudged her feet further forward, lifting her ass higher for a better angle before he drove back in. He was balls-deep in her now, and it still wasn’t enough, could never be enough. She bit down on a noise, trying to silence her pleasure. He set a relentless pace while the party continued just a dozen yards away, music filtering faintly around them. Pressure built at the base of his spine. He groaned, reached around, found her clit and tweaked it between his fingers. He moved his other hand up, grasping her waist to hold her more tightly in place.
She threw her head back, grinding herself hard against him, mouth open in ecstasy. Her muscles tightened around his hard length as she reached her peak and whimpered, trying to be quiet even though he could tell she wanted to shout. He drove himself into her again, once, twice, faster now, and then the pressure building at the base of his cock released as he pumped himself out.
He held on to her, hands tight around her waist as they both shuddered and spiraled and fell. This was exactly where he wanted to be. Lost inside this woman.
He was lost to her, as well. Tonight had brought that home to him—not just how badly he wanted her sexually, but how much he needed her in his life. She fulfilled him, brought out the color and adventure in a life that had always been duty after obligation after responsibility. With her at his side, all of that would be so much more meaningful, a joy instead of a burden.
As they recovered under the stars in their hideaway, a quiet waltz twining around them, he thanked God Ella Fernstone had finally agreed to a real relationship with him—because he didn’t think he could face life without her after this.